Steel wheel for automobiles



W. E. WILLIAMS STEEL WHEEL FO AUTOMOBILES Filed Sept. e,

Patented Apr. 24, 192.3.

A, x y 1,452,772 PATENT OFFICE.v

WILLIAIII EEAs'rUs WILLIAMS, or carcasa, ILLINOIS;

STEEL WHEEL ron AUTOMOBILES.

Application led September 8, 1919. Serial- No. 322,388.

To all rwhom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIAMA ERAs'rUs WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Steel Wheels for Automobiles, of which the following is a .specification.` I

The object of this invention isto provide a steel disk wheel for automobiles in which lightness, strength, andl simplicity are highly important, and, in a wheel of this kind, to

utilize both tension and compression, as well the fixed rim ofthe wheel.

as to provide a novel demounting feature.

Reference will be had to the accompanying drawing in which Fi re lis a frontelevation of the wheel. igure 2 is a vertical sectional elevation on line 2-2 of Figure 1. Figure 3 isl a section of. the rim when the same is detached. Figure 4 is 'a section of Figure 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Figure 1.

In the drawing 1' indicates the. ordinary hub, here shown as .the rear hub of an auto.

mobile. 2 indicates the brake drum-and 3 the main flange of the hub.

4- indicates the disc of my Wheel which is thicker around the hub and is thinner at the margin. This disk 4 -is .provided with a series of radial corrugations 5 extending outwards from the hub and then disap eari ing and merging into a smooth sur aced -bulge or swell 6. From this swell 6 the plate of the disc bends inward into the vertical flange 7, parallel with the plane of rotation of the wheel. Y l

My corrugations 5 extend down to the hub 1 and fit snugly thereon around the surface 8. A filler ring 9 fills in the space between the inner ends of the corrugations andthe brake drum and hub flange ofthe main hub 1. W ashcrs 10 are used between the bottoms iof the corrugations 5 and this brake drum 2 in order to properly space out and locate the main body of the disc at this point, approximately in the pressure line of the load plane of the wheel.

It is understood that the construction here shown, as relates to the vhub itself, is intended to adapt my disc wheel to the hubs employed for wooden wheels and some features thus shown may not be necessary with the hubs made in the rst instance to suit my disc.

A clamping member 11 embraces the outer end of the hub 1 and is provided with a corrugated flange 12, adapted to clamp the corrugations to my disc, through the assistance of round headed bolts 13', which pass through the flange 12, my disc, the washers 10'and the-flange 3 of the hub 1. These corrugations of the flange 12 fade out or merge in to the outer smooth end of the member 11.

' T'he margin of my disc beyondthe lane circle or zone 7, is turned over into the ange 14 which butts against the fixed rim 15 here shown as in Z cross section. This rim has a straight bodyportion 16 and ahorizontal flange portion 17. Rivets 18 secure the portion 7 to the vertical portion 16 of this rim, 'and rivets 19 secure the Harige 14 to the in- 'clined flange 15 of the fixed rim.v M inter- -vals around the margin of this fixed rim, there are perforated threaded blocks 20,

provided with small flanges 21 secured tov the .disc and portion 16 of the fixed rim by rivets 22.

The demountable rim of the wheel is 1ndicatedby 23 and is provided with an inwardly projecting flange 24 which is bent over at its inner margin forming the with flanges 30 which are secured by rivets 31 to flange 24 of the main rim. These rivets have countersunk heads and thus do not interfere with the close contact of the flange 27 of the companion flange 26.

rlhe form of rim here shown is adapted to take what is known as a straight side tire, but may be made to take any otherv A series ot' screws 32 screwsuitable type. through the flange 27, the flange 24 and into the blocks 29 and thusfasten the companion flange 26 to the main rim 23. This arrangement of the flange 26 with the main rim affords a quick detachable feature for an inflated tire. The shoulder 28 of the main rim furnishes a register and a support to the companion flange 26 that relieves the screws 32 from receiving and transmitting to the narrow zone between the screws and the edge of the rim dangerous load,shocks` v The groove 25, when the demountablf;` rim is in place Aembraces the edge 33 of the flange 17. Screws 34 the` heads, of which pass through clearance holes 35, in the ange 27, of the companion flange 26, clamp o f circling said annular member and having at one margin an annular flange extending the flange 24 of the main flange 23 to the fixed rim of the wheel byl means of being screwed vinto the blocks 2O previously ,de-v scribed. Thus by looseningthe six screws 34 I- may take ofl" the rim 23 withiits companion flange -27 in-toto and replace a similar one, dn which there 'ismounted a fully inflated tire in the ordinary manner of demounting a rim.

When a new tire is to be placed on the rim, I loosen the screws 32 and remove the flange 26 and thus detach the tire.

The construction shown whereby I connect the rim 23 to the fixed rim 15, through the medium ofthe groove and edge 23 of the flange 17 of the fixed rim, serves to produce, when the parts are properly fixed together, a wheel in which both tension and compression are taken up-by the demountable rim as Well as the fixed rim.

The' inclined flange 15 of the fixed rim rests'against inclined depressions 36 in the *.r ,main .tread on the rim 23, so as always to avoid all looseness of these parts when they n.25

.'medlum of the screws 34. A u,The demounting and quick detachable features as indicated, wherein I use the are properly clampedvtogether through the screws 34 and 35 are desirable constructions, since it is usually easier and quicker to take out and' replace these-screws than it is to manipulate wedges or `rings otherwise used in demountable and quick detachable features. I'

By means of my plain, smooth disc in this outer body portion, I 'get a surface which is Y. easily cleaned and which, by means of the lSwell or bulge 6, gives a degreevof elasticity to the wheel and the corrugations around 'the' hub so stiflen this region that I mayse'ka thinner late for la single disc wheel tilian might ot erwisebe best with aplain isc.

What I claim is v l. In a wheel of the class described, the

combination with a disk having an Vannular' x'ne'mbersecured` to the marginal portion of v its outer face and provided at its own inner margin Iwith an annular-laterally projecting flange, of a rim body member entoward the center of the Wheel and provided with a lateral groove engaging the margin of said laterally projecting flange, and

means for rigidly connectingsaid disk, an-

nular member and rim lbody member.

2. In a wheel of the class described, the combination with a disk, ofan annular :member fixed to the peripheral the disk and presenting to allfra` al strains lane' web,' and amain tire-carryingrimf'be. y. member ortion of edgewise resistance ofF` a broad 4.- n a wheel of the class described, the

combination with a disk, of an annular member having a plane annular vport1on alongside one face of the peripheral portion of the disk and provided at its inner margin with an annular flange projecting laterally from the disk and at its other margin withy anv annular portion bent op ositely, with the corresponding portion o the disk, to form an inclined rim seat, a main rim mem. ber resting on said seat and having at one margin an inturned laterally grooved flange engaging the margin of the outwardly extending flange, and means for detacliably locking the two flanges together. Y

5. A demountable rim disk Wheel includ# ing a demountable rim, a fixed rim, and-a disk, said demountable rim having an inward projecting flange and said fixed rim a flange projecting laterally to meet the flan e first mentioned, and means for detachab y binding the two flanges together'.V 1

6. In awheel of the class described, the.. combination with a disk, of an annular member having its-central zone .fitting the side of the peripheral portion of the disk, its

outer portion 'secured to and bent laterally with the corresponding zone of the disk to form an inclined rim seat, and its inner portion bent yoppositely to form an annular outwardly projecting flange, and a rim body removably fitting said seat and having an ineturned flange. detachably secured to said annular fla-nge".

7. In a Wheel of the class described, ai

rim, and a disk web, the disk web attached to the rimby rivets, securing it to a' flange of the rim, and also by a series of.y blocks located on the outside oftheweb and-riveted through the web to the flange of the rim 1ocated on the opposite side of the web.

Signed at Chicago, in the county of. Cook and State of Illinois, this sixth day of September, 1919. i

WILLIAM ERAs'rUs' 'iviniaaiusg.- Witnesses: l

JOHN B. JEFFERSON, B. J. BnRNHAnD.. 

